Navy Seizes Boat With Drugs Linked to Al Qaeda

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy has seized a boat in the Persian Gulf carrying two tons of hashish and four people tied to the Al Qaeda (search) terrorist network, the military said Friday.

The guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (search) intercepted the boat on Monday, U.S. Central Command (search) said in a statement. On board were two tons of drugs worth an estimated $8 million to $10 million and 12 people, four of whom have suspected ties to Al Qaeda, the statement said.

The boat, a wooden vessel known as a dhow, was near the Straits of Hormuz, the narrow part of the gulf between Iran and Oman, the statement said. The area is a known smuggling route used by Usama bin Laden's terrorist network, the statement said.

American forces searching the boat found 54 70-pound bags of hashish, the statement said. The investigation which followed found clear ties between the drugs and Al Qaeda, the military said.

The Decatur is part of a U.S. Navy force including the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.